But regardless of if the editor's advice was good or bad, the series was tanking and due to be cancelled before the obvious sudden shifts occurred. If they didn't try anything to course correct, that would have been a failing on the editor's part too.
That pretty much nails it. Perhaps the editors advice was really bad. The point is though that the editor HAD to step in and that's on the author's lack of ability to write something that doesn't need course correction.
He phrased it nicely.
He didn't say "My editor ruined the manga." He said "I had planned to go in a different direction but then things changed."
It's NOT bad or harmful on its own, especially months apart from the other statements.
If that was the first thing ever said on the subject, wouldn't read anything into it at all.
But right here on a message board, where there is nothing inbetween and statements are practically back to back, it stands out a lot more.
The thing is though that as a Japanese person, you clearly know what's going on here. Zeltrax already explained this well. In Japan you don't ever directly critisize someone or something. You use all kinds of different nuanced was to indirectly make clear what you want to say. It's one of the things that us foreigners living here have a tough time to adapt with. It's not just a case of "read between the lines", it really is that different. And this is clearly the author doing exactly that.
All that being said, even with the indirect way of doing things, you don't go out in the open with things like this. You keep in between the people involved for the most part. And you would add a part where you admit that you yourself made mistakes (whether you believe it or not). It's just a thing to do. Yet this guy clearly seems to be willing to push the blame away from him. Heck, even if by some chance this really is not the author's fault at all, his behaviour is absolutely pathetic.
I think, and this is me speculating right now, that he's one of the younger generation who is fed up with the antiquated way of doing things in Japan. There are people here who want change because the country really needs it in some parts. But he's too rash and emotional and doesn't seem to get, that even if you want to make changes, you have to play by certain rules. Otherwise you will considered a nuisance to the idea of harmony, which is the last thing you want to be considered in Japan.